Familiarity
One of the reasons we lose our joy and the freshness and newness of things is familiarity. That simply means we get so accustomed to something we no longer see how special it is. It’s like the mother who started reading the Bible to her young son. A few weeks later they were reading from the Gospel of John. When she read John 3:16, her son commented, “oh, I know this. This is an old one.”
Being familiar with a Scripture can do that to us. We can know it so well, we feel we know all there is to know about it. It’s the same with pets and the blessings and the joys we experience in life. We need to make an effort not to take those things for granted. Being continually thankful is one of the ways to do that. Bless the Lord at all times and let His praise continually be in your mouth. (See Psalm 34:1).
Be thankful and say so. (See Psalm 100:1). Make a list of all the things you are grateful for, including the people in your life. Think about the big things, but think about the small things too. Frequently thank God for hot water, especially when you are tired or for a healthy body.
Thank God for quiet. Really enjoy quiet times, because they seem to restore your entire being. Don’t just automatically be thankful when something goes your way. Appreciate your children while they are young because soon to be, they won’t be.
Your cat (pet) has an expiration date that comes unannounced to many. It’s important that we dedicate and exercise ourselves not to become familiar with things that should amaze us, for it is the little things in life we appreciate that will keep our souls stirred up with joy. It will also lessen any future guilt because we know we squeezed all the “juice” out of each experience.
It’s the little things in life we appreciate that will keep our souls stirred up with joy and peace.
When you are with everyone but me, you’re with no one. When you are with no one but me, you’re with everyone.
Jalāl ad-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī
referenced also by Joyce Meyer – ‘I Dare You’ pg.160
—-ooOoo—
M.S.
HonoredCat Bereavement Care 